


The Tudors, Season 4, Episode 8, As It Should Be

by TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer



Category: The Tudors (TV)
Genre: Analysis, Episode Review, Episode: s04e08 As It Should Be, Meta, Nonfiction, Season/Series 04, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28084914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer/pseuds/TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer
Summary: Warning: Contains spoilers for the episode and the rest of the series. Complete.
Kudos: 4





	The Tudors, Season 4, Episode 8, As It Should Be

Ambassador Snape is no longer in the opening credits.

Open to dead men being thrown in a mass grave.

Henry couldn’t even send their bodies back so that their families can properly bury them?

Meanwhile, N2 talks to another soldier about the severe lack of food. It’s gotten to the point where French peasants have approached soldiers begging and crying for some food for their children.

N2 is clear he cares more about his soldiers than the starving children, and though his presentation is cold, I can’t really hold it against N2. It’s human nature for most people to worry more for their own than for others, and I’ll give him the fact he’s honest.

However, I can hold almost everything else about him against him when, babbling about wanting to be Lancelot, he harshly condemns some deserters the camera shows hanging.

Depending on the version, Sir Lancelot might hang deserters, but I have a hard time believing he’d make his loathing of would-be deserters so clear when said deserters are hanging in the wind right near him. There’s cold honestly, and then, there’s this smug, judgemental, refusing to even try to have empathy, compassion, and/or basic understanding of the plight of others.

In the mines, Harry accidentally causes a mini-explosion of rocks, and everyone starts to run before the leader orders them to get back to work. He declares they don’t have time to be afraid.

I’d say they have less time to try to transport enough miners from England to replace the dead ones and have those miners deal with the mess responsible for killing the previous, but I’m either lacking in empathy or have more than these characters do.

Over to the tent, the doctor informs Henry the men who’ve died from dysentery is in the thousands and that many more are sick from it. He suggests sending the sick men back to England so, hopefully, it doesn’t continue spreading and the sparse resources the soldiers have aren’t wasted on the sick.

Henry reacts to this reasonable suggestion by flipping a table over. He goes on a rant accusing the doctor of being a liar and the sick men cowards. Refusing to send the sick men home, he demands they fight or be hung.

Ever the observer now, Charles Brandon simply looks at Henry with no expression.

Back in England, Gardiner comes to talk to Katherine. After establishing Henry is supposedly doing well in France, he wants to arrest a barber and cook from Henry’s privy chamber due to them being heretics. Refusing to sign the order, she says, due to rumours of the plague near where the princeling is, she’s inviting him to court.

In France, Brigitte sees her father. Charles Brandon offers to release him if Brigitte agrees to remain his prisoner.

Obviously, he’s attracted to her, but I think this is more about him desperately needing someone to talk to and wanting some sort of redemption. He’s been hanging out with N2, but their conversations have certain limitations. If he can be a gentleman, protect and show kindness towards this woman, and if he can talk to someone without being so afraid of court politics, it’ll do wonders for his emotional and psychological state.

The father is vehement in his protests when Brigitte tells him in French, but she somehow manages to convince him, and in English, she lets Charles Brandon know her father agrees.

Talking to Charles Brandon, the father declares he believes the man who is willing to let a soldier go in exchange for keeping a young, pretty woman as his prisoner is an honourable man.

As I said, I don’t think Charles Brandon is doing this in order to get laid, but still.

The father continues he expects Charles Brandon to protect and treat Brigitte with respect, and in French, Charles Brandon gives his word. Her father is led away.

Outside, Harry and some miners are taking a break, and Richard comes over. He’s managed to find a bit of food, and he insists Harry take it.

Back in the tent, Henry and the others are having a feast.

He wants his soldiers to work hard, and yet, he isn’t distributing this food to them.

Edward’s visiting, and he assures Henry that Katherine is doing a good job as regent. The princeling is also doing well. Then, Edward breaks news about the emperor succeeding in capturing French territories, and Henry blames the leader of the miners.

Just a thought: Maybe, the emperor gives his men enough time to do things competently, ensures they have proper food, and follows reasonable medical advice when it comes to contagious, often deadly sickness among them.

Look, whether there’s roots in empathy or not, this is common sense. I don’t understand why and how certain people, both real and fictional, think grossly denying people even the bare essentials is going to produce consistent, good results from said mistreated people. Extreme fear and/or devotion is only going to propel a person for so long until they physically become unable to do their duties, and extreme fear and/or devotion alone isn’t going to do anything to get them better. And if eventually the number of people to replace these people runs out...

Henry brings Charles Brandon into the argument, and after agreeing with Henry, Charles Brandon does try to point out the others do a point. However, having gotten his agreement, Henry cuts him off.

Also, Henry decides to explode one of the undergrounds cannons without warning to see how the men react, and showing horror at the thought of all the unnecessarily dead men this would bring, literally begging Henry not to, the mine leader pleads for two more days.

Later, Charles Brandon is pacing, and Brigitte is sitting with a plate in of food in her lab. She realises the food was his. Deliberately changing the subject, he asks what the French townspeople are eating. Answering they’re eating cats, she asks why he let her father go.

He discovered her father had no useful information, is his answer. Pointing out she doesn’t, either, she asks why he’s keeping her.

He just looks at her before leaving. Perhaps, he’s realising, not only would she not believe him if he told her, but also, he finds his own reasons pathetic.

In England, Mary and Katherine have a scene where Mary shows Katherine a translation she’s working on. She informs Katherine it’s dedicated to her, since, she pointedly declares, she knows how much their faith means to Katherine. Uncomfortable, Katherine thanks her before sincerely telling her how happy she is to be with all three of Henry’s children.

The princeling and Elizabeth come in. Katherine decides it’s time for the princeling to leave the care of Lady Bryan to be placed with his tutors. Unhappy, he nevertheless obediently agrees.

Trying to cheer him up, she says him he’ll have Henry Brandon to play with as well as learning such things as tennis, fencing, music, and dance. The princeling is taken to bed, and softened by the display, Mary gives a genuine smile when she wishes Katherine good night. After they’re gone, hugging Elizabeth, Katherine declares Elizabeth will do great things.

Elizabeth leaves, and Katherine asks KA to stay for a moment. She brings up the fact Anne Boleyn was a Lutheran Reformer, and just as she respects Mary’s devotion to Catholicism due to Catalina being Catholic, she wants Elizabeth brought up in her mother’s faith. A Reformer herself, KA agrees.

I like this scene. Katherine does want to promote Protestantism, but she also takes the approach of religious tolerance. She doesn’t want to destroy Catholicism or move against Catholics but to protect Reformers and, hopefully, convince others to join in.

Meanwhile, on horseback, Charles Brandon examines all the death and dying of the camp.

Later, he’s asleep, and coming over, Brigitte gently touches him. He automatically wakes. Telling him she broke her promise not to escape but came back, she notices blood on his head. She starts to clean it, and giving her time to move away, he leans over to kiss her.

They have sex.

The next day, Henry, Charles Brandon, and Edward stand on a platform to look out at the camp.

In the mines, the leader thanks the men for their service. He hugs each of them, and one of them, who is no doubt grateful to have a competent man who cares for their well-being, says, “God bless you, sir.”

He dismisses them.

Next, N2 comes to stand on the platform.

In the mines, fuses are lit, and everyone begins running. The leader is trapped, and he orders the men to save themselves. Some men do manage to get out. The soldiers automatically begin trying to uncover the mine entrances so that they can get the ones who didn’t.

Dust covers the camp, and the castle begins to fall.

From his place on the ground, Richard is shot with an arrow.

Then, Harry is dragged out of the mine, and tearfully, he answers the question of anyone else being alive in there: No.

Meanwhile, everyone is cheering.

In England, reading a letter, Katherine happily tells the Tudor children Henry’s succeeded and will hopefully be home soon.

Back in France, a man surrenders the keys to the town to Henry. Charles Brandon takes them, and the man asks for Henry to be honourable and let the civilians leave unharmed. Henry promises.

At a feast, Henry and Edward talk. Edward acknowledges the great victory, and Henry is his usual narcissistic, babbling self. After giving a toast, Henry congratulates Charles Brandon on being such a good soldier. Thanking him, Charles Brandon asks if they’re going to march the rest of Paris. No, it turns out Henry is happy with this one town.

Elsewhere, Harry puts a cross and a flower on a grave for Richard. “I’m sorry,” he whispers.

Richard was a soldier. He was trained to survive.

Harry’s not exactly a civilian, but he isn’t a soldier. In his mind, it makes more sense for him to have died. In Richard’s, though, he would have gladly died for Harry. Harry will live a long life, but he’ll always remember and love his friend. He’ll always try to honour him.

Charles Brandon is more of a soldier than Henry. He’d die for Henry, and he’ll die before Henry. However, unlike Harry to Richard, his death isn’t going to matter much. Though mourning, Henry won’t realise truly what he lost, whereas, Harry does.

Next, Brigitte is packing. She asks if she’s free to go, and Charles Brandon answers in the affirmative. Bringing up the fact he didn’t ask for a ransom, she asks if this means he doesn’t think she’s worth anything.

Seeing how she somewhat literally kept him sane, he answers, “You are worth everything.”

He asks her to come back to England with him. There’s a line about her being his mistress, his French whore. In French, he says, “I love you, that’s all.”

No, he doesn’t. Having nothing to do with Henry, he hasn’t known her for long, and he hasn’t known her on an equal playing field at all. He was a trained soldier with ropes and weapons at his disposal, and she was short, slim woman with little defence even if she had managed to get a hold of a weapon. Her first scene showed she couldn’t hold her own in battle. He was honourable, but this doesn’t mean they both didn’t know what he could have done. He gave her the opportunity to escape, but she couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t try to track her back down.

They kiss.

In England, Henry greets Katherine and the others.

At the castle, there’s a celebration, and Gardiner expresses his worry to Rich and Risley. The exchequer is bankrupt, everyone hates England, and they have to deal with a heretic queen.

Using two canes, Eustace approaches the throne. Awkwardly bowing with the canes, he says, due to his worsening gout, he’s applied for a recall to Spain. He sincerely thanks Katherine for her kindness to Mary. Aw. He also thanks her for helping with the friendship between the emperor and England.

Using his own cane, Henry gets up. He demands to know if the emperor has signed a separate treaty with France. Eustace reluctantly answers in the affirmative. Badmouthing the emperor, he sarcastically wishes Eustace a long and happy retirement as he gives permission of leave.

Well, this could have gone a lot worse. I half-expected him to knock Eustace’s canes away.

Elsewhere, Brigitte and Charles Brandon awkwardly discuss his wife. She wants to meet Henry Brandon, and I take this to mean the inaccurately named Edward will never be heard or spoken of again.

Noticing he’s deep in thought, she asks what he’s thinking about, and he answers he was dead but is alive again.

Since he didn’t properly see her when they first had sex, he asks to see her now. She shyly undoes her nightdress, but when he’s too busy taking her in to respond right away, she covers herself up. They kiss.

Even though he’s so riddled with issues he couldn’t make a long-term relationship work with anyone and she’s impulsive to the point she can’t be trusted not to get herself killed, this is a genuinely sweet scene.

Meanwhile, Mary refuses to accept the fact Eustace, the man who has done a better job fulfilling the role of her father than Henry ever has and will, is leaving. They both know this means they’re highly unlikely to ever see one another again.

Eustace says he believes Katherine loves Mary. In response, Mary says she doesn’t know if Katherine loves her or not, but she knows Katherine is a heretic. Despite Eustace’s protests, Mary blames herself for not being born a boy. She continues she’ll probably never be married or queen, but if she is queen, she swears on the soul of her mother she’ll make England faithful again by burning however many heretics she has to.

Realising there’s nothing he can do anymore to help this lonely, tortured, angry young woman whom he’s loved as a daughter for so long, Eustace forces his body to stand, and walking over, he asks, “May I?”

Tearfully, she hugs him.

Giving her a ring to remember him by, he explains it was a gift from the emperor. In turn, the emperor had received it from Catalina.

Neither of them say it, but it’s clear from the look on their faces how much they love one another.

Meanwhile, Edward tells Henry the potential fiancé for Mary is engaged to someone else, and the French are going to try to take back the city. Henry, however, is determined to celebrate his victory. Wearily agreeing, Edward leaves.

Then, all alone, Henry falls unconscious onto the floor.

Fin.


End file.
